Riding the Raisina Tiger

Riding the Raisina Tiger - a Politico-military thriller about an Army Chief who decided to take things into his own hands. AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD ON 26 JAN ON OCCASION OF REPUBLIC DAY FROM https://www.amazon.com/Riding-Raisina-Tiger-Story-military-ebook/dp/B01ALCCNSS

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Srinagar, April 15: A white-bearded man who appeared to be around 65 was shot dead by the army yesterday but police distanced themselves from the alleged encounter with the suspected militant, possibly the “oldest” to have died in a gunfight with security forces. A police officer, who refused to be identified, said police were not part of the operation in a north Kashmir forest, though an army spokesperson claimed that cops too were involved. “It was an army operation. He is quite elderly and if he really turns out to be a militant, he could be the oldest rebel to die,” the officer said. Army sources said the unidentified militant was killed by troops of 6 Rashtriya Riffles in an encounter in Rainawari forest near Pahaldagi village in Handwara early yesterday. Defence spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel J.S. Brar said the lone militant was killed around 4 in the morning. “The army’s patrol parties along with police had an exchange of fire with a terrorist in Rainawari forest which led to his death,” he said. The spokesperson said an AK assault rifle and 67 rounds of ammunition were found. The police appeared reluctant to be dragged into the operation, fearing it would be a major embarrassment if the suspected militant turned out to be a civilian. Handwara police chief Rafiq Ahmad Wakil said the army handed over the body to the police yesterday along with the weapon found on the man. “He was white-bearded and appeared to be 60 to 65 years of age. He can be from our part of Kashmir or the other side. We kept his body at Handwara till 5pm yesterday for identification but nobody claimed it after which he was buried,” he said. “We even brought the families of two local guides (who help militants cross over) to identify if he was their relative,” the police officer added. Wakil said the army laid a strategic ambush in the area, a routine during this part of the year when the snow melts and militants start infiltrating, and noticed a movement. “The army said there was an encounter which led to the man’s death.” Wakil said he knew some militants who were 50 or above. “There was a local militant in Bandipore by the name of Omar Chacha who was more than 50 and died fighting forces,” he said. But this is the first time that someone around 60 has been killed in an alleged encounter. The police officer said the slain man’s picture had been preserved.

The Nuclear Security Summit, held in Washington DC has brought into sharp focus the urgent need for securing the world from nuclear terrorism. The leaders representing 47 countries went beyond underlining the need for “strong nuclear security measures” so that it was rendered impossible for “terrorists, criminals or other unauthorised actors” to acquire the ultimatum weapon to annihilate the world or a part of it. The world leaders set a clear-cut target of achieving their objective in four years, which showed how serious they were in meeting the challenge posed by non-state actors. In their customary joint statement, the leaders admitted that “nuclear terrorism is one of the most challenging threats to international security”, the view India has been expressing for a long time. India can draw satisfaction from the fact that its wake-up call has been heard at last. Mr Obama’s achievement lies in the assembled leaders’ appreciation of his unprecedented “call to secure all vulnerable nuclear material” in a time-bound manner. However, the task is not as easy to accomplish as it appears. The target of having a world free from nuclear terrorism can be achieved only when a collective drive is launched. The voluntary commitments made by the participating nations will not produce the desired results automatically. Nuclear experts are skeptical about the success of the strategy discussed at Washington DC. There is need to have a fresh look at it for securing the world from “catastrophic consequences”, which may follow once Al-Qaida or any other terrorist group is able to lay its hands on the nuclear weapon or material required for making the bomb. Countries with weapons of mass destruction who have dubious credentials need to be watched more closely. Terrorists have made many attempts in Pakistan to forcibly capture such weapons. They have demonstrated the capacity to strike at will and anywhere they want. These non-state actors have a widespread support base which extends to the establishment, which may help them in achieving their dreaded goal. Incidents of groups and individuals trying to steal fissile material in some Central Asian countries have also come to light. The Georgian President informed the world leaders that his country had “foiled eight attempts of illicit trafficking of enriched uranium during the last 10 years”. The strategy to prevent nuclear terrorism from becoming a reality must be formulated keeping these factors in view. Top Gujjars’ protest march Gehlot govt must ensure foolproof security The Gujjar protest march from Hindon to Jaipur in Rajasthan to build up pressure on the Ashok Gehlot government for five per cent reservation for the community in government jobs under a special category has given a new twist to their agitation. As the agitation in 2008 had turned violent and claimed 40 lives and caused considerable hardship to the people, the authorities should make adequate arrangements to maintain law and order this time. Apparently, the government seems to have “limited options”. If it agrees to five per cent quota under the Special Backward Class (SBC) category, it would mean withdrawing the Reservation Act of 2009 that has been challenged in the Rajasthan High Court. As the quota for various categories has already touched 49 per cent (16 per cent for SCs, 12 per cent for STs and 21 per cent for OBCs), the government will have to bring forward a new Bill to provide five per cent quota for SBCs. While doing so, it should keep in mind the 50 per cent cap fixed by the Supreme Court. Significantly, in October 2009, the Gehlot government had received a jolt when the Rajasthan High Court stayed the 5 per cent quota for Gujjars and 14 per cent to the Economically Backward Classes as it breached the 50 per cent ceiling set by the apex court. Subsequently, while reverting Gujjars to the OBC category, the government said it had provisionally modified the reservation system following the high court order that indicated Gujjars, Rebaris and Gadia-Lohars would have to wait longer for quota under the SBC category. Unfortunately, successive governments have given a raw deal to Gujjars though they constitute 7.5 per cent of the state’s population. They complain that while they have been deprived of their slice of the development cake, Meenas and Jats have become upwardly mobile, with berths in the IAS, IPS, state civil services, etc. While the Vasundhara Raje government dithered on Gujjars’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status, often putting the onus on the Centre, the Gehlot government is in a bind following the High Court order. Indeed, how to provide quota for Gujjars within the apex court’s 50 per cent limit has become a challenge for the state government.

The Sukna land scam allegedly involving four Army Generals, including former military secretary Lt. Gen. Avadesh Prakash, on Thursday come under sharp attack from a Parliamentary panel which strongly recommended setting up of “an independent regulator” by the Defence Ministry to manage its estates. “The committee is of the strong view that land scams such as Sukna land scam affect the image of Army and the defence services as a whole and as such it is utmost necessary that the country should have the fool-proof system to regulate the defence estates,” the Parliamentary Committee on Defence said in its latest report tabled in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The Defence Ministry, however, has conveyed to the committee that there was no need for a separate regulator in view of adequate existing system within the ministry. But the committee, headed by Congress member Satpal Maharaj, recommended that “their suggestion of having an independent regulator should be considered by the (Defence) Ministry positively” and it be appraised accordingly about the action taken in this regard. The committee was referring to the recent controversies regarding the use of defence land reported by the media including the Sukna land scam, which involved issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Army officers for setting up an educational institution at the military base in Darjeeling district. Other officers allegedly involved in the scam were Lt Gen P K Rath, whose appointment as the Deputy Chief of the Army was scrapped following the unearthing of the scam, 11 Corps commander Lt Gen Ramesh Halgali and Major General P C Sen. The Army has ordered disciplinary proceedings in the form of court martial against Lt. Gen. Prakash and Lt. Gen. Rath, while the other officers would face administrative action. Lt. Gen. Prakash’s plea — first in the Armed Forces Tribunal and later in the Supreme Court — for scrapping of the court martial proceedings on the ground that the inquiry into the scam did not follow procedures was not accepted by the tribunal or the apex court. Referring to the Defence Ministry’s view that there was no need for a separate regulator, the committee said, “In spite of internal mechanism to regulate defence estates, such (Sukna land scam) incidents are happening.”

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article397989.ece

Joint India, Singapore military exercise ends in Madhya Pradesh Posted on ANI on April 14, 2010 // Leave Your Comment 0diggsdigg 0 vote nowBuzz up! Share Babina (MP), Mar 28 (ANI): A two-day-long joint military exercise by Indian and Singaporean armies – code-named Bold Kurukshetra – aimed at validating inter-operability between the two forces concluded here on Saturday. Singapore Minister of State for Defence Koo Tsai Kee and its High Commissioner to India Calvin Eu, along with a delegation of ten dignitaries witnessed the bilateral exercise. The visit underscored the warm defence relations between both countries. “To what I have seen today, I’m pleased to say that what we have achieved here eventually is what we had asked for. For this, I extend my appreciation to Indian Army for allowing us to train in India,” said Neo Kian Hong, Major-General, Singapore Army. Earlier, elements of the Singaporean Army had started their training on March 1 under the supervision of the Armoured Division of Indian Army. The training also included professional exchange between the two armies in form of lectures, presentations, familiarisation with the other army’s equipment, tactical discussions, and sand-model exercises. India and Singapore had signed an India-Singapore defence cooperation agreement in 2003 to advance their bilateral defence relationship. (ANI)

Indian Generals and Commanders have been punctiliously, meticulously and diligently planning for an exercise in futility– the so called “Cold Start Strategy“. Stephen Cohen and others have been coaching the Indians on how to use the threat of a Cold Start Strategy to threaten and intimidate the Pakistanis into kowtowing to the Indian diktat. It has not worked and it will not work. Pakistan’s War College has scrupulously and diligently run all the permutations of possible combinations in an India Pakistan conflict. Every conceivable action by India has been preempted and planned for. Stephen Cohen and other Israeli and Indian pundits who come up with the “Cold Start Strategy” based it upon the 1967 model of the preemptive Israeli attack on Arab countries. The “Six Day War” destroyed the Arab Air Forces on the ground, and decimated most of the Soviet propped Arab armies that were assembling for a decisive battle with Israel. The IAF action was decisive in taking out the artillery and infantries of the joint armies of Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. Delhi’s Cold Start Strategy Frozen DOA (Dead on Arrival) That ephemeral “victory” by Israel allowed it to control 60% of the Egypt and took over the West Bank and Gaza. However the victory was short lived, and not decisive. The ‘67 war created the conditions for spring action of of ‘73 when the Egyptian Army only crossed the impregnable natural border of “Greater Israel”, the Suez Canal. The Egyptian Army then went on to decimate the the indestructible Barlev Line–and was marching towards Tel Aviv, when US planes freshly repainted with the Star of David attacked the 3rd Army and forced it to stop the advance. The Israelis sued for peace, and promised to return Sanai to Egypt. Why India did not attack Pakistan in 2002 and 2008? The Bharati Army hopes to demolish the 7th largest army in a few days using its rapid deployment Pakistan-specific force which is parked right on the Pakistani border. The army along with the IAF hopes to take out the Pakistan Army’s command and control centers and duplicate the US attack on Iraq which destroyed the Iraqi radar system within a few hours of the attack and then had free reign over the air space. Responding to the “Surgical Strikes”: Neutralizing Delhi’s Cold Start strategy. The Doctrine does not take into account the effect of Pakistani missiles, and nuclear assets. However there is much emphasis on “wiping out Pakistan”. The Doctrine fails to understand the problems that India faces in Kashmir, Assam and the Maoist insurgency. After dramatic failure of “Cold Start Strategy” India comes up with cockamamy “96 hour Rapid Thrust” scheme India has been practicing its emerging Cold Start strategy in the border opposite Kasur. Under this strategy, up to four Integrated Battle Groups could move rapidly across the border and occupy a strategic chunk of Pakistani territory up to the outskirts of Lahore in a “limited war”. For Pakistan, there is no concept of “limited war”. Any war with India is seen as a total war, for survival. It risks losing everything the moment India crosses its border, and will likely react by attacking India in force at a point of its own choosing under its own Offensive-Defensive strategy. (That is probably why it is moving some of its Strike Force infantry divisions back from the Afghan border to the Indian one.) As the battles escalate, Indian’s numerical and weapon superiority will become critical. If no external intervention takes place quickly, Pakistan will then be left with the “poison pill” defense of its nuclear weapons. Shuja Nawaz is the author of Crossed Swords: Pakistan, its Army, and the Wars Within (Oxford University Press 2008) and the forthcoming FATA: A Most Dangerous Place (CSIS, January 2009). He can be reached at www.shujanawaz.com If there was ever a need, the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) of India’s damning reports on the depleted state of Indian military’s readiness took the hot air out of the myth of Pakistan Army specific ‘Cold-Start Doctrine’ (CSD). If CAG reports weren’t damaging enough, recent media reports of feeble condition of the Indian military have made it the laughing stock. The rundown condition of the Indian military’s legacy hardware has taken the sting out of its numerical superiority; a far cry from an aggressive strategy of the CSD. Adnan Gill. The Statesman The India-Pakistan war. Muhammad Bilal Iftikhar Khan has written a brilliant article on Azm e Nau and the objectives of the Cold Start Strategy. Pakistan Army has started its biggest Military exercises in history. The exercise Azm-e-Nou 3 is outcome of two war games conducted by forces named as Azm-e-Nou 1 and Azm-e-Nou 2. In this exercise Pakistani Forces will practice its new concepts and doctrine to counter Indian Army’s Cold Start. According to ISPR “AZM-e-NOU will begin with violent surprise attack by Fox Land’s Air force on Blue Land territory followed by ground invasion. In Initial stage 20 thousand Troops will Take Part in exercise and at later stage 50 thousand troops will be involved. In this exercise all forces and their wings will take Part. The battle situation will be generated in three operation sectors and all conventional weapons will be tested and practiced. According to agreement India has been informed about the military maneuvers. Why Pakistan Army had to start this exercise? Especially more than hundred thousand of Pakistani troops are engaged in Counter terrorism operations in FATA…..To understand this we have to see developments on Pakistan’s eastern borders and threats originating from them. Indian army is the biggest army in south Asia and is also one of the largest in the world. However, its biggest dilemma is Pakistani Armed Forces that are haunting it since the independence of both countries. The active strength of Indian army alone is more than 12 00,000. The army consist of 38 divisions, which are distributed in 5 tactical area commands namely * “Northern Command” which is headquartered at Udhampur and is responsible for Indian Occupied Kashmir. * “Western Command”, which is headquartered at Chandimadir and is responsible for Punjab. * “Southern Command”, which is headquartered at Poona and is responsible for Gujrat and Maharashtra. * “Eastern Command”, which is headquartered at Calcutta and is responsible for counter-insurgency operations in Assam and defence of boarder with Bangladesh. * “Central Command”, which is headquartered in Luckhnow and consists of Indian army’s strike elements to take offensive against Pakistan. In addition to these five commands India has raised a new tactical command christened as “North Western Command” along with a new Corps (HQ 9 Corps) for the defense of “Chicken Neck” (working boundary with Pakistan) area where Indians are traditionally weak. Looking at the deployment of these tactical commands one thing is obvious that out of 7 tactical commands 5 are specifically meant against Pakistan (And Indian Leaders weep about Chinese Threat fooling whom??). On April 28th 2005, Indian army gave out its new war doctrine named as “Cold Start”. Formulators of this doctrine revealed that it is specifically for Pakistan. Indian officials and analysts, who are quite excited about it, are predicting that the future Indo-Pak war will be short and decisive one and will be based on info centric concept which US army demonstrated During Iraq Invasion.. The Cold Start doctrine is a combination of Information 0r Network Centric War fare and Shock and Awe Strategy tactics as displayed by Americans in Iraq Invasion of 2003. According to this doctrine the air borne troops and air cavalry units will be dropped behind Pakistani lines and important installations to destroy Pakistani command and defense infrastructure and capabilities. For the said purpose 8 or more integrated battle groups (formed with elements of Army, air force and navy) will undertake Blitzkrieg type action against Pakistan. The war will not exceed 2 to 3 days. The actions will be crisp and violent because due to intergradations of all intelligence available at troop level allows commanders at junior level to modify the plans according to operational requirements and increase the pace of battle. This information sharing at lowest level, according to Kapalia, will allow Indian forces space and flexibility for maneuvers to Indian commanders to execute in such a speed that objectives will be achieved before the international community will have the chance to intervene. This doctrine do not aims at the capture of Pakistani territory but at the destruction of Pakistani armed forces and defense infrastructure. The formulators of this doctrine suggest that essence of “Cold Start” is surprise, mobility and speed achieved by coordinated efforts of services. They say traditional slow mobilization of forces gives enough time to enemy for taking measures and so surprise is washed out. In future war they say they will not give time to think and react. Indian planners think that future war will be a limited war (in time dimension) fought under nuclear umbrella but short to nuclear threshold. They say Pakistan will not use nuclear weapons a) Because Pakistan knows that if Pakistan goes for its nuclear option than “it will be wiped out by Indian counter nuclear strikes”. b) Purpose of action will be to destroy not to capture therefore Pakistan will not be able to use its assets. c) Initial attack will leave Pakistani forces in Shock and Paralysis. Indian generals think decisive results can be achieved by close coordination among the three services, which is only possible when all services act under a unified commander. They also think that any blitzkrieg type action requires the revolution in military affairs of India and up gradation of Indian air force and logistic capability. Since end of Operation Porakaram in 2002-03 Indian forces have conducted many exercises to practice their new concept. In next Part of the essay we will see the results and lessons learned by these exercises and in end Pakistan Army’s response to cold Start. Delhi’s Cold Start Strategy Frozen DOA (Dead on Arrival) The Bharati (aka Indian) Cold Start Strategy has a few startling weaknesses. 1) The other weakness of the India’s military thinking is that the Doctrine is that doctrine assumes that the Pakistani Military will fold instantly and the Indian forces will be able to destroy the Pakistani forces without inflicting damage to the Pakistani civilian population. Pakistan’s Air Force is not as decrepit and arcane as the Arab Air Forces of 1967. The PAF is potent and carries the latest planes with indigenous capability. It also assumes that Pakistan will not use tactical or full-fledged nuclear weapons. 2) The Pakistan missile defense could thwart the advancing Bharati Army in its tracts with hundreds of short range missiles taking out the soldiers and tanks and long range missiles making it very expensive for Bharat. Pakistani missiles can now attack every Bharati city. 3) Bringing the war to Kolkota, Chenai, Mumbai and Delhi would make Bharat think twice about crossing the border or targeting the Pakistani Armed forces. 4) There are inherent weaknesses in the Bharati Armed forces. The Cold Start Strategy banks on an element of surprise, pin-point-precision, technological and optimal efficiency–Nothing can be left to chance. The main weakness of Indi’a Cold Start Doctrine is that India needs 70 or 80 squadrons of aircraft. Indian Airforce crying wolf? or facing shortage of jets?. 5) ) Then there are the tactical nuclear weapons. Bharat can never be sure that Pakistan will not use low intensity tactical nuclear weapons which would annihilate the Indian Air Force bases and the Indian Command and Control Centers. 6) Initiation of hostilities against Pakistan will galvanize forces from the Indus to the Amu Darya and beyond. This is not the sixties. Hundreds of thousands of armed men will pur to the war and cross into Bharat totally destroying the country and plunging it into war and violence for decades. The Doctrine is based on cold water strategies and does not take into account the irregulars in the that defend Pakistan. Pakistani irregular number a bout 200,000 and then there are the forces energized in FATA and NWFP which would be mobilized. 7) Finally the Bharati Army does not know what the “Nuclear Threshold” is. It cannot count on sanity and logical thinking–specially in the heat of the battle. Pakistan may go for the Nuclear option at an early stage and burn all of South Asia. The US think tanks conducted hundreds of different scenarios of limited war between Bharat and Pakistan. All permutations and combinations ended in full-fledged hostilities and total nuclear war. Nuclear deterrence & Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) blunts Bharat’s Cold Start Strategy. Pakistani response to “India’s Cold start strategy”: Limited strikes against targets vs Hot War leading to Nuclear Armageddon. The false Bharati calculation about “wiping out Pakistan” and its ability to survive a nuclear war is not supported by evidence on and facts. Pakistan has more than 250 nuclear bombs. They can wipe out every major and minor Bharati city laying to waste the entire country for hundreds of years. Pakistan already has 2nd strike capability and is working on third and the 4th strike capacity. India’s Cold War strategy guarantees hot war—Nuclear annihilation India knows that it can never win a conventional warfare because of the Nuclear Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). However it still harbors notions of winning a sort of a mini war. India may think it has a Cold Start Strategy, but it may end as a hot nuclear war. Indian Defense planners cannot guarantee that a limited strike will not escalte into a full fledged war. A full fledged war with a nuclear armed neighbor may destroy both countries. Is Delhi preventing the 4th Battle of Panipat or instigating it?

Recently retired Chief of the Indian Army, General Deepak Kapoor, wanted to put in his papers in the second half of January this year, more than two months before he was due to retire on March 31, according to top official sources. They reveal that General Deepak Kapoor wanted to resign from service when he received unprecedented written "advice" from his boss, Defence Minister AK Antony, to alter an earlier decision to slap his Military Secretary Lt Gen Avadhesh Prakash with administrative action. Forced to bow to the "advice" -- many in the Army wonder if he had a choice -- sources say the Chief was willing to throw in the towel and retire early. Significantly, General Kapoor allegedly wanted to quit at a time when his successor had not yet been formally announced. Such an eventuality would have been decidedly uncomfortable for the government. With no successor named, Vice Chief Lt Gen Prabodh Bhardwaj would have had to officiate as Army Chief while the government busied itself with the paperwork for a formal successor. Sources say the news of the Chief's intention to quit reached the government -- it caused enough of a stir for the government to quickly announce the Chief's successor Lt Gen VK Singh on January 22 (it was scheduled to be announced at the end of January), and any embarrassment was averted. It is not known whether General Kapoor put in a formal resignation or whether the government prevailed upon him not to -- what sources say is definite is that he wanted to step down. The sequence of events, as top sources now re-tell it, is significant. In the wake of the Sukna episode becoming a full-blown controversy, General Kapoor had taken a call, well within his rights as Chief, to ignore recommendations from his successor, that one of the accused, the Military Secretary, be sacked. Instead, Gen Kapoor recommended that the officer undergo administrative action. Sources say in the first of two meetings in the second-half of January with the Defence Minister, General Kapoor defended his decision, but was asked verbally to give it a re-think. Sources reveal that after he returned for a second meeting with his recommendation unchanged, Antony then issued written "advice" that Lt Gen Avadhesh Prakash undergo disciplinary proceedings. It was at this point, Gen Kapoor's aides now reveal, that he wanted out.

1 comment:

The Common Wealth is owned by Kalmadi and Co.They all have been enjoying money and Kingly Life Style in the precinct.Just see how many ladies they have in their party and how many useless inexperienced relatives and friends they have recruited at will and on their own terms and conditions.Poor soldiers are looked down upon by Bhanot.Bhanot says Fauzi ka dimag ghutne mein hota hai.They are paid less than fresher boy and girls who came through back door entry.Then why now Kalmadi and Bhanot wants Army Officer to work as contract labours,to be used and spent.Cream is eaten by trio.Soldiers beware of nefarious design of Kalmadi,Bahnot,Jarnail Singh and other Darbaris.Donot get into trap set very claverly. finally Soldiers will be burdened with responsibility of fiasco.See how a Maj Gen is ill treated in CWG where his seat and howhe is insulted by self styled kings Kalmadi,Bhanot,Darbari,Sacheti etc etc.Think again Army HQ and COAS before you become toad on hot plate in the society registered under the society act,which is neither govt or semi govt organisation.